Sharma Centre for Heritage Education, India

Research, education and legal issues in India's cultural heritage

Archaeology & Paleoenvironments

Introduction Excavations Results Chronology Publications Take a Tour

Attirampakkam is a multicultural stratified open air site with a total deposit of around 9 m in thickness. It has yielded evidence of Lower and Middle Palaeolithic industries. Eight sedimentary layers were identified comprising a stratified sequence of laminated silts, ferricrete gravels and clayey-silts. The sequence of Acheulian and Middle Palaeolithic assemblages found stratified throughout the deposit point to long term occupation of this favourable location over the Pleistocene. The site was abandoned possibly in the Terminal Pleistocene. A significant discovery was that of Lower Palaeolithic Acheulian artefacts in Layer 6, laminated clays, previously thought to be of Cretaceous age. Our studies, show that these are representative of a Pleistocene palaeofloodplain situation, with silts and clays sourced from older Creataceous formations of the Avadi series of marine shales, which occur in the vicinity.

Acheulian

Lower Palaeolithic Acheulian assemblages were found in the lowermost stratified laminated clay-rich deposits and pebbly gravel beds. The assemblage comprising predominantly tools on large flakes, as well as a component of small flake tools. Handaxes and cleavers form an important part of this assemblage. There are very few cores or tools on cobbles. During this phase, artefacts were manufactured elsewhere and brought to the site to be used during this phase.

Middle Palaeolithic

The overlying ferruginous gravels are rich in Late Acheulian assemblages, including cores, tools and debitage, pointing to on site manufacture of artefacts. Overlying deposits have Middle Palaeolithic assemblages showing a transition from the Acheulian. The last Palaeolithic occupation of the site is marked by very late Middle Palaeolithic assemblages.

Chronology

Recent results published in Science, March 25th, 2011, provide the first age estimates from Acheulian levels Attirampakkam. We used two different methods to date the site, -Palaeomagnetic measurements and cosmogenic nuclide burial dating of tools, which suggest that these populations lived in India more than a million years ago.

Other studies using OSL measurements are in progress.

ESR on fossil faunal teeth were also carried out.

Palaeontology

The discovery of three fossil teeth is significant, as fossils are rare at Indian Lower and Middle Palaeolithic sites. These include an upper molar of Bovini, possibly representing Bubalus (water buffalo) or Bos; a lower molar of Equus sp., and a left lower molar, Caprinae or Boselaphini (Boselaphus : nilgai). These indicate at least three different fossil species suggestive of an open and wet landscape.

Publications

On the excavations
On the Acheulian
On the depositional environment
On clay minerology

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